Luminous electric sign



Feb. 1 1927.

. L@ F, H. EEL-.Es ET AL LUMINOUS ELECTRIC SIGN Filed Feb. 1e, `1925 4sheets-sheet 1 Feb. l 1927.

F. H. EELES ET Al.

LUMINOUS ELECTRIC SIGN Filed Feb. 16 195 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 1, 1927.L@

F. H. EELES ET-AL LUMINOUS ELECTRIC SIGI Filed Feb, le, 1925 Asheetsheet 5 Feb. 1,1927. 1,616,309

F. H. EELES ET AL LUMINOUS ELECTRIC SIGN F11-ed Feu'le 1925 4sheets-sheet 4 Patented Feb. 1, 1927.

itiltdii UNITED STATES PATENT @itt'ib'a FREDERICK HARRY EELES AND HENRIMA-.URIGE DU-CH.ARD OIE' PARIS; FRANCE; SAID- EELES ASSGNOR -KTO SAID-DUCHARD.

LUMINUS ELECTRIC SIG-N.

Application led February 16, 1925, Serial No. 9,5557, and in GreatBritain February 18, 1924.-.

This invention relates to luminous signs or advertisements of the kindwhich comprises a series of lamps uniformly distributed and'. in thecircuit oit which are inserted circuit-breakers grouped so as tocorrespond to the lamps, these circuit-breakers being adapted to becontrolled' by the agency of a perforated band which moves relatively tothe circuit-breakers and through the pertorationsl ofl which passcontacts so as to close the circuit through the corresponding lamps.

The invention relates to an arrangement of circuit-breakers formed, on.the one hand, by a group of contact-studs individually connected to thelamps which they control, and on the other hand, by a metal brush, orcard, the perforated band being displaced between the latterk andl thestuds;

The invention also relates to circuitbreakersconsisting of a' metalbrush or card and oft studs consisting of spring-pressed balls.

The invention further' relatesv to contactstu'ds consisting, on the onehand, ofsheaths inserted in aninsulating'plate and connected to thelampv circuits'and, on the other hand,l offrods arrangedin a secondinsulating plate arranged upon the first and having tight frietionalengagement with the said sheaths and` the heads ot which form thecontactstuds proper which are in contact with. the:

metal brush or card.

The invention further relates to a metal brush or card, as one elementof a circuitbreaker, this brush or card being formed in the manner of anendless belt passing over two drums which can either be loose or driven.

The invention further relates to a mechanism for positively drivingythel perforated band and consisting oi' an actuating drum driven by anelectric motor or the like, an intermediate roller interposedV betweenthe drum and a winding drum being' itself driven by the actuating drumin order to assist in the driving of the band.

The invention also relates to a device for driving'the band in which oneof the drums of the endless metallic card is given a rotary movement sothat. the metallic card is displaced at the same speed as the band andassists its iforward. movement.

the' pert'orations in the said band, the axes of these exc'entricsbeinglthemselves mounted in other excentrics, thus enabling the heights to beregulated.

rlfhe invention also relates to a tension device of the endless cardconsisting in mounting one oit the card carrier-drums upon anoscillatingarm, the angular position of which can be regulated andmaintained by means of a rack upon which the extremity of atendon-spring is attached.

AL mode of carrying out the invention is represented by way of example1n the accompanying drawings.

In these drawings:

Figs 1-1d is an elevation, partially in section, oflr an apparatus otthe present system for luminous signs and advertisements:

Fig. 2 is a detail View, on aV larger scale, of the device for applyingadjustable pressure to the metal" brush or card;

Fig. 3

represents an arrangement of the contacts by means of spring-pressedballs and the metallic card.

The luminous advertisement apparatus oi the present system is mounted'on a table 122 on which is arranged a series ot contact-studsuniformlydistributed and in the same way as the lamps oi' the board of lamps ofvthe sign which is not shown. Above this series o' contact-studs isplaced a metal` card" 123, of" the hind used in the textile industry.vand between the contactstuds and the card moves the perforated band 124in such a way that the bristles olr the card pass through thepertorations in the bandr so 'as to come into contact with theVcontact-studs which are beneath.

This

system ot establishing contact by the aid of a metalcardfoters manyadvantages over the systems at present known and which are generallyprovidedl with small elastic tongues, which rub over the contact-studsthrough the perorat-ions.

These tongues lose their elasticity with use, get out of order easilyand thus miss contact the more easily. This cannot happen With the metalbrushes or cards, according to the present invention, because theyeffect a real improvement, first from an economic point of view, as thecards can be made at a very 10W cost price, moreover in comparison Withthe surface effectively covered by the card, the amount of space whichit takes up is very small, the contact obtained is better and moreassured, because it is effected for each of the contact-studs concernedby several points of contact.

This metal card or brush may be fixed, its bristles always makingcontact practically with the same contact-studs in proportion to thepassage of the perforated band which is driven, as Will be hereinafterdescribed, but it may likewise be movable, as shown, and thus assist inthe driving of the band. lt could also, independently of any othermeans, effect the driving of the band by itself, but it seems preferableto effect this driving by the co-operation of a special mechanism and ofthe card driven at the same speed, as this avoids all tearing andbreaking of the band itself, Which is always made of some fragilematerial, such as paper, Celluloid and the like.

In the example shown, the metal card 123 is endless and is mounted ontwo drums 125 and 126, the first of which is carried by fixed supports127 attached to the table 122 and the second of which is held in arms128 of adjustable Obliquity.

The perforated band 124 is unyvound from a reel 129 mounted beneath thetable 122, passed over a guide bar130 carried by the ends of the arms128 and then over the table 122 between the card 123 and thecontact-studs, is passed around the actuating drum 131, the guide drum132 and finally, is Wound up on the reel 133. This drum 131 which isdesigned to drive positively the perforated band 124 is provided,preferably on its periphery With juxtaposed rings of leather whichensure the' proper adhesion of the band to the drum. Its shaft carries aWorm-Wheel 134 Which receives its movement from a Worm 135 to which arotary movement is imparted through the medium of the belt 136 and underthe control of any hind of motor, for example of an electric motor 137.

The driving drum 131 is connected to the Winding-on reel 133 by acrossed belt 133, in order to obtain a Winding up of the bandcorresponding to its driving.

In order to impart a similar movement to the perforated band 124 and theendless card 123, the corresponding cheeks of the drums 125 and 131 areprovided on their peripheries with teeth, and for the purpose ofensuring the most efficient driving and winding up of the band, theintermediate drum 132 is provided with teeth which are adapted to bebrought at will into engagement with those of thc drum 131 so thatthe'latter can also effectively assist in the driving, IThis drum 132may either be kept in gear or out of gear With the drum 131 by thefollowing arrangement. It 1s carried by arms 139 which are mountedbeneath the table 122 so as to be able to oscillate at 140. One of thesearms carries on its free end a socket 141 pierced radially and adaptedto slide on a rod 142, one end of which is pivoted to the standards efthe table 122, On this rod is mounted a spring 143 fixed, on the onehand, to the rod, and on the other hand, to the arm 139, so as to keepthe drum 132 normally in contact with the drinn 131. rlhe free end ofthe rod 142 is cut away in order to form a shoulder 144, so that inorder to disengage the drum 132 from the drum 131, all that isnecessary, is to pull bacl: the arm 139 overcoming the action of the srino' 143` so to cause the socket 141 to slide on the rod 142 and tobring it onto the thinner part thereof, in which position it is held bythe shoulder 144, as shown in dotted lines.

The apparatus comprises also a pressuredevice for applying the card tothe perforated band, in order to ensure a better contact of the teeth ofthis card with the contactstuds through the perforations in the band.This arrangement comprises a shoe 145 of the same Width as the card 123and equal in length to the part of the table 122 Which is provided withstuds, this shoe being drawn upwards by means of springs 146. On thesides of this shoe are fitted uprights 147 pierced with an elongatedslot 143, in Whi li Works a spindle 149 carrying an arm 1 ,1 and anexcentric 152, this latter bearine a its periphery on a cross-barintegral with the shoe 145, and the two arms 151 being connected ly arod which also permits lili) of their being operated simultaneously tocause the eXeentric to rotate. rllhe spindles 149 pass through a frame153, attached to the table of the machine and pierced in the same Way asthe uprights 14?, with vertical grooves 154, in order to allow of themovement of the spindle, this latter being kept at any desired heightrelatively to the shoe 145 by excentrics 155 which it carries externallyand which bear on shoul( ers 154i formed on the frame 153. liy reason ofthis mode of construction, the action of the cX- centrics 152 on theshoe 14V can be adjusted exactly by previously setting the spindle 149at any desired height', by a suitable ros tation of the excentrics 155which may be conveniently provided with a scale or graduations adaptedto assist in the setting in position.

The tension of the card is ensured by the special method of mounting thearms 128 which carry the drum 126. These arms are provided with journals157, which can be seated at will in any one of the notches'158 formed onthe table 122 and are connected at their lower ends to a rod 159 by thebar 13() which cross-ties them. This rod 159has a rack 160, into theteeth of which the end of a tension spring 161 is adapted to engage,thev other end thereof being attached to a fixed point of the apparatus,foi-exam ple at 140. It will be understood that this arrangement forelastic adjustment will permit of easily compensating the expansionwhich the endles card might undergo as a rcsuit of wear, by giving tothearms 128 a more or less accentuated inclination about the journals 157.

Contact might be established by a metal card and contact-studs formed byspring pressed halls as shown diagrammatically in Fig. 3.

Gn this figure each circuit-breaker comprises a ball 21 pushed by apiston 22 unuer the acion of a spring 23 bearing against a conductingmember 24 into which is screwed the connecting screw 25. All thecircuitbreakers are mounted in an insulating plate 2G. With the balls 21co-operates the metal card 123 which can be forced against the balls bymeans of the device above described. All the metal wires of the brush123 are connected to one of the terminals of a source of current, whilsteach screw 25 is connected to the other terminal through the lampcorresponding to the screw in question.

In the example shown in Figure 1, the contact-studs carried by the table122 are of more simple construction and are fixed, but may be replacedindividually with ease when their action is imperfect.

1n an insulating plate 162 are placed metal tubes 163 distributed inthesame way as the lamps of the advertising panel or board of lamps andacting as sheaths for metal rods 164e which project from a secondinsulating plate 165 in which they are loosely mounted, their heads 166constituting the contact-studs proper with which the bristles of thecard come into contact, and the rods 164C fit tightly into theirsheaths` The removability of the rods 1G11 permits of the contact-studsbeing replaced rapidly and easily in case of wear or of defectiveworking, without in* terfering with the perfection of the Contact.

The band 124, the perforations of which are utilized to put the lampsinto circuit, must be perforated for each letter or each character, in aparticular manner. Furthermore, in view yof the special conditions underwhich this kind of apparatus is worked, it is necessary that theperforations can be established as required and in a quick manner.

Various modifications of details may also be made in the arrangementswhich have j'ust been described without the spirit of the inventionbeing in any way changed thereby.

We claim:

1. In a device as described, a fixed contact plate, a perforated controlsheet adapted' to pass along said plate, and an endless band havingContact bristles extending therefrom and adapted to move in wipingengagement with the surface of said control band oppo` siteV the;contact plate.

2. ln an apparatus of the character described, a' fixed contact plat-e,a perforated control web adapted to move over theplate, and an cndles"movable card having numerous Contact b.. l'es extending tlierefroni andadapted to wipev over the control web and to enter through theperforations and come into engagement with the contact plate.

3. ln an apparatus of the kind described, a fixed contact plate, acontinuously moving perforated control web cooperating with said plate,and an. endless crintinuously moving card having numerous Contactbristles extending therefrom in wiping engagement with said' control weband adapted to pass through the perforations thereof and to mak-econtact therethrough with the fixed contact plate.

1. In an apparatus of the kind described, a fixed contact plate, aperforated web, means for causing said perforated web to pass over saidcontact plate, an endless card supported above said plate havingnumerous line bristles extending therefrom toward the plate and adaptedto enter the perforations of the web and to come into contact with saidplate for closing the circuit, and means for continuously moving saidendless card.

5. A device as described comprising a fixed contact plate, a perforatedweb adapted to move over the plate, and a movable card having numeroussmall contact bristles extending therefrom and wiping over the sur" faceof the web, said bristles adapted to pass in numbers through each of theperforations of the card as presented thereto whereby to admit a groupof fine bristles through each perforation to the contact plate.

6. A device as described comprising a fixed Contact plate, a perforatedweb adapt-ed to move over the plate, a movable card having.;- .numeroussmall contact bristles extending therefrom and wiping over the surfaceof the web, said bristles adapted to pass in nun bers through each ofthe perforations of the card as presented thereto whereby to admit agroup of fine bristles through each perforation to the contact plate,and means for forcing said card and bristles against the web and pla-te.

7. A device as described comprising a fixed contact plate, a perforatedweb adapted to move over the plate, a` movable card having numeroussmall contact bristles extending lil therefrom and wiping' over thesurface of the. web, said bristles adapted to pass in numbers througheach olf the perforations ot the card as presented thereto whereb7 to admit a group of'iine bristles through each pei."t'oration to the contactplate, and a pressure plate for acting on said card to 'force the Cardand bristles against the web and plate.

8. A device as described comprising axed Contact plate, a perforated webadapted to move overthe plate, a movable card having numerous smallContact bristles extending therefrom and 'wiping over the surface ot theweb, said bristles adapter` to pesas in numbers through each of theperforations ot the card as presented thereto whereby to admit a groupof tine bristles through euch per- `toration to the Contact plete, apressure plate adapted to act against the card, and cam means forforcing the card and the bristles against the web.

9. device as described connorising` e fixed 10. A device es describedcomprising a fixed Contact plete, a perforated web adapted to move overthe plete, a movable card having numerous small Contact bristleseXtending; therefrom and wiping over the surface ot' the web, saidbristles adapted to pass in nun'ibers through each. of the perfor-ationsof the card as presented thereto whereby to at mit a group Ofilinebristles through each pertoretion to the contest plate, a pressure plateacting against seid card to torce the Vbristles against the Web andplate, yieldsble resilient means for tending to nfithdraw the plete fromthe card, and cam means for actcontact plate, a perforated web adaptedto ing to push the plate against the card.

move over the plate, a movable card having numerous small Contactbristles extending therefrom and wiping over the surface of theFREDERICK HARRY EELES. HENRI MAURCE DUCHARD.

